Sparkles
by Dana Grayson
Summary: A little look into why Taylor may have been the way she was.


Sparkles By Little Angel  
  
Summary: A little look into why Taylor may have been the way she was.  
  
Disclaimer: Ok, I don't own anything Power rangers in any incarnation mores the pity. I'm just borrowing them, I'll put them back when I'm done, promise.  
  
Author's note: this takes place just before the yellow wild force ranger graduated high school. It was originally an exercise for my creative writing class. Please let me know what you think.  
  
The afternoon was drifting away and the two girls sat in the soft sand. They'd been sitting there for sometime just watching the foamy breakers lap against the sand some distance ahead of them. It wasn't the first afternoon they'd spent like this but it could be their last. Taylor knew that with changes came the destruction of security, of peace. Hadn't she learned that a long time ago? At Seventeen Taylor knew she still lived than the 18 year old brunette seated next to her.  
  
"I can't believe in less than six hours we'll be out of High school." Gabby said and Taylor looked at her.  
  
"Believe it; soon you aren't going to bee little miss popularity." Taylor knew she wasn't being very nice but Gabby better get used to it. Life was not very nice on the outside. Taylor knew that all too well. She just hoped Gabby could handle it. In all the time They'd been friends Gabby had always been the happy go lucky one. Going to parties, movies and joining in every school activity possible. But for some reason everyone loved that about her. Gabby often reminded her of the energizer bunny. She just kept going. But at least people liked her. Taylor knew most of the kids at school didn't like her and she really didn't care. They were totally oblivious to the real world.  
  
Sighing she idly scooped up a handful of sand and let it sift through her fingers. They were definitely unlikely friends, the popular princess and Taylor, the meticulous icequeen.  
  
"Things are gonna change." Gabby didn't bother replying to that. "Life isn't always the way you want it to be." Taylor muttered picking up yet another handful of sand.  
  
"Maybe not but everything changes." Gabby said sounding thoughtful.  
  
"Yeah." Looking out at the water Taylor could see nothing but the slate grey water meeting the lighter grey of the sky. It was funny, Taylor thought, it matched the day perfectly. Graduation day should be dull. After all it was the slamming of a door leaving those it shut out in the grey uncaring world.  
  
"Hey, you know we only have a couple of hours to get ready." The Brunette said climbing to her feet and offering her best friend a hand up, But Taylor just shook her head.  
  
"I'm gonna stick around a little longer." She said brushing a stray blond lock from her face.  
  
Gabby looked down at her as if wanting to say something but instead she shrugged.  
  
"Ok, I'll be by at ten till.' She said in parting and Taylor watched her go.  
  
When her friend was completely out of sight Taylor pulled the little silver locket from her pocket. It was a child's necklace with little daisies intertwined like ivy on the front. Her wonderful father had once told her the ivy was to mean forever intertwined, like family. Yet here it was and they were no longer intertwined. Hadn't they done that? Hadn't their fighting torn the roots right out of the ground? She wondered why she'd ever kept the dumb thing. But she knew that too. It was to remind her of the fact that nothing lasts. Not family, not security, not even friendship.  
  
Jumping to her feet Taylor ran towards the water. She threw back her arm and was about to fling the locket out into the water when she felt it taken from her fist.  
  
Whirling, she found him standing there.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Taylor growled and the raven haired young man just smirked at her.  
  
"I heard you were being pissy again." He said tucking the locket into his pocket.  
  
"That's mine." Taylor glared at him.  
  
"Nope," he glanced from her to the water, "you don't want it anymore."  
  
Taylor gritted her teeth. Why was he always around when she didn't want him? Just because they were related that didn't give him the right to be such a pest.  
  
"Give it back." She growled.  
  
"Now I don't think I will." He said thoughtfully. She grabbed him by the collar and gave him a shake.  
  
"I said give it back it's mine Forest." He shook her off and said.  
  
"Ok cous, I'll give it back if you tell me what's going on in that head of yours." He said.  
  
"Dam it Forest it's none of your business." She hissed.  
  
"Look, we are family not to mention the little fact that I'm dating your best friend, and she'd worried about you. I don't like to see her worried. Besides you've been acting like a porcupine with P.M.S. for long enough." He said calmly and she sighed. If there was anything Forest was it was stubborn.  
  
"Look I'm ok, Gab shouldn't be worried, tell her I've got P.MS." She said and she saw his lips quark at the corners.  
  
"A girl's excuse for everything." He said ruefully.  
  
"Works doesn't it?"  
  
"Maybe but Taylor I know something's up." He said his face sobering.  
  
"Look, I just wonna be left alone for once." She said and turned to go.  
  
Pausing a time later in her walk up the shoreline, Taylor watched the grey and white bird swooping over head, its wings spread in a graceful sweep. If she could just be a seagull, she'd have no worries, she'd just have to find food and fly. Sighing she started walking again.  
  
"Do you remember when my mom found us in the pantry eating the Christmas cookies?" Taylor jumped; she'd not realized he'd followed her.  
  
"Forest." She began but he went on as if not hearing her.  
  
"We were what, about six?" He sounded odd and she cast a sidelong glance at her cousin. "You said that the yellow sparkles were like tomorrow, sparkling with possibibity."  
  
"Never could say possibility." She admitted with a little smile. She'd forgotten about that day. It had been before it all fell apart. Before she'd stopped believing in happy endings. Before her best friend had been taken away from her. She wondered at how gullible she'd been. She was much wiser now.  
  
"And you used to laugh; you were giggling when my mom found us." He remembered even as she shook her head.  
  
"I wasn't when we had stomach aches."  
  
"Gee ya think." He said sarcastically but there was still a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.  
  
"Wonna tell me the reason for the little walk down memory lane?" Taylor asked a few seconds later and she heard him sigh.  
  
"Taylor, what happened to that hopeful little girl?"  
  
"Gee cous guess she got hit with a little thing called reality. You know that thing most of the world lives in." She said glancing at him pointedly.  
  
"hey, you don't have to bite off my head I'm just wondering if there's a real person in there." He replied and she laughed mirthlessly.  
  
"You're looking at her." she muttered and he suddenly threw his hands up in the air.  
  
"Ok, Ok I give up." He muttered looking skyward as if in defeat. "Look there's not much time before we have to leave for the school come on, I'll give you a lift back to the house." He said after a few minutes, the happy- go-lucky mask back in place.  
  
"I don't feel like riding that old heap of metal." she said adding; "Besides I'm not ready to go yet."  
  
"You know, we love you cous but if you keep pushing one day we may not push back." He said and left her standing there. She had heard that once before. A long time ago. A very, very long time ago.  
  
It was chilly as she stalked down the street. She passed the butcher and news stand without even seeing them. She was so angry, why did they have to do this to them? Why couldn't she have parents who loved each other and their kids? Why did they have to do this? Why couldn't their father just move out of the neighborhood? Why did he have to take Nat all the way to Texas? It sucked. Not only was she loosing her father but her best friend was going too.  
  
"Hey, Mum's looking for you." Taylor didn't look up.  
  
"So." She kept right on walking.  
  
"Tay, the Point is she's worried about you." Nat said falling into step with her.  
  
"So?" Taylor didn't even bother looking at her twin.  
  
"Tay, You aren't going to make things any easier by acting like this."  
  
"You can go back and tell them You tried. And tell them I am not gonna do anything stupid." She muttered. She kept walking knowing that he'd go now.  
  
Instead, she felt the hand on her arm.  
  
"Tay, You know mom and dad aren't the first to get divorced." He was still there and now holding her in place. she looked up to meet the eyes so like her own.  
  
"Do you think I'm stupid?" She asked shaking off his restraining hand.  
  
"Sis, what I think is that your hurt'n as much as I am and are too stubborn to let anyone help." He replied quietly.  
  
She knew he was right, but to have anyone know how she felt. Even him.  
  
"so, You think You know everything." She laughed but the sound was harsh even to her own ears. Why was it like this between them? Didn't he even care that their wonderful father was dragging him all the way across the country? didn't he care that they weren't even going to be allowed to write or call?  
  
"What I know, is if You keep pushing everyone away one of these days they're gonna stop pushing back." the words stung more than she wanted to admit. Just to hear them from Nat, her twin, her best friend really hurt. But everything hurt when she didn't push so what could she do?  
  
She'd done what she always did. She'd walked away. And he'd moved away with their father the next day. The talk had lingered in her mind for a long time but they'd not talked since. It had been one of the stipulations of the divorce. She would live with their mother and him with their father, but none could have contact. She knew they'd thought that their parents had thought that it was for the best, to make the adjustment easier. It had hurt so much she'd thought it would be the final blow that would at last kill her.  
  
As she stood there, she let herself wonder where Nat was, what he was doing. Did he even miss her? He'd not spoken much to her after that confrontation. Did he even think about her? A single tear made its way unchecked down her cheek. It had been so long. If she saw him would she even recognize him?  
  
Would he recognize her? She viciously kicked the sand. Why should he? It had been more than five years. She hated them, and she hated him. He'd just gone; he'd not even looked back as he sat in the front seat of the dirty old Chevy. He'd just gone. He'd probably been glad to get rid of his pesky sister. She gave herself a vicious mental shake. She was doing it again. she was feeling sorry for herself. that wouldn't change anything.  
  
Taylor thought about going back to the house and stuffing her things into a bag. she could catch the bus out of town before anyone would know.  
  
*****  
  
An hour later Taylor dropped to the ground outside of her window. It had been so easy. She'd managed to grab her bank card and some clothes with none the wiser.  
  
Now, cutting across the yard she headed for the bus station. The walk wouldn't take her long at all. a half an hour at the most. Then she'd be out of there. It wouldn't take them long to forget about her. Just like they'd forgotten about Nat. that had really irked her. He was her brother, and it was like he'd never even been born. As soon as he'd been gone Mom had gotten rid of anything that had been his. By the next day it was like he had not lived in the apartment for 12 years. She had tried to talk to her mom about it but Beckah Adams had pointedly ignored her. It only happened when she'd wanted to talk about Nat so after a while Taylor had caught on. She'd stopped talking about him. She'd tried to find him once but her mom had found out and said that Nat was dead. Taylor had felt sick when she knew that it was just her way of saying not to look. She'd tried after that in secret but had not managed to find him. It was like Nat didn't even exist.  
  
Now, as she made her way up the street she took one last look at Turtle Cove. The town was like any other. there were houses all shapes and sizes and there were washed out apartment buildings. It was not what she'd expected when her mother had said they were moving to Turtle cove. Taylor had thought there would be beaches as far as the eye could see. there were fancy houses but there were also tenements just like in Mariner Bay. It hadn't been so hard to leave. She'd started cutting herself off from everyone and thing when her mother had said Nat was dead.  
  
It had been a surprise when Gabby PARKER HAD PUSHED HER WAY INTO HER LIFE. They'd been in the same homeroom and most of the same classes. The vivacious cheerleader had just grown on her. She was one of the only two people she'd miss. She'd also miss forest. Sure her dumb cousin was a pest but she still loved him in her own way. It was funny but she'd never really thought about it. Those two had grown on her like dandelions in the desert. Impossible but resilient.  
  
Crossing the street it struck her that maybe some one would miss her after all. It was a strange thought. After feeling like no one really cared to realize that there were two naive but nice people who would miss her.  
  
Taylor was brought out of her thoughts by the sight of the car of one of her mother's friends. Ducking into an ally running between the grocery store and the pediatrics clinic.  
  
She didn't see the obstacle ahead of her on the pavement.  
  
Taylor tripped and landed hard sprawled out on the cement with a thud.  
  
"Hunh?" Came a gravelly voice. Taylor heard it through a haze of pain. She'd landed flat on her front, the wind having been knocked out of her. She pushed herself into a sitting position and fought to suck in air. Then a hunched figure was there before her. She was too busy forcing her lungs to work to react at first.  
  
"Ya ok?" The rag clad figure asked and she managed a little nod. He then shook his head and took her hand. "You hurt your hands." he said matter- of-factly and she noticed then the places where her hands had been scraped raw. She then realized something. The hermit like man looked concerned. He had no reason to. After all, this ally was probably his home. She was the intruder here.  
  
"I'm ok." She said blushing. She was blushing? She never did that. And what was she thinking? This bum had no right to live in a public place. Even if it was an ally.  
  
"You have to clean this out or it will get infected." with out a word he realized her hands and he pulled a bottle out of his pocket. She watched confused further when he again took her hand and poured the amber fluid over the abrasions. She hissed in a breath but made no other sound. When he was done he motioned for her to wave her hands to dry them.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked her curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"if they get infected you could get sick." He said and she noticed that his sunken eyes were a grey. They'd gone distant with the last words and she had the feeling that he knew about being sick. "My Mini got sick." He murmured to no one in particular.  
  
Taylor had seen many homeless people living back in Mariner Bay, and even here but it had never occurred to her that there might really be a reason they were there living on the streets. She'd always just figured they didn't want to work or something. But looking at this man with the peppery beard and sad eyes she started to wonder. If she ran where would she go? Would she end up like this? If she left who would clean her scratches?  
  
"Thank you." She said and he seemed to only then remember she was there.  
  
"Your welcome." He replied and turned away.  
  
Taylor looked after his retreating form and realized something she should have a long time. Sure she had problems, but she was better off then a lot of people. Just because she had been hurt that didn't mean she should run. If she did she could end up like the little man. Alone and sleeping on the cold cement. She didn't want that. She still had people who cared. Just because Nat wasn't there didn't mean she had no one who cared.  
  
Turning back down the ally Taylor headed towards the street.  
  
*****  
  
"I give you the class of 2000." The principal intoned and with a whoop, 200 copper caps flew into the air.  
  
Forest jumped into the air and grabbed Gabby swinging her into the air. Taylor watched solemnly. They looked so happy. She hoped that they'd always be like that. Then She found Forest's arm about her waist. She realized he had both of them about the waist. Taylor looked at him and a tiny smile touched the corners of her lips. His expression when he'd found the box of sugar cookies in the front passenger seat of Gabby's car had been priceless. He'd looked like a little boy with a brand new bike. Gabby had just seemed puzzled.  
  
"Ok someone want to fill me in?" she asked looking at her friends.  
  
"Oh, it's just tomorrow." He'd smiled and Winked at Taylor. She rolled her eyes and climbed into the backseat.  
  
Now, She walked from the field with her two friends knowing she just needed to work on her issues and maybe someday she'd be able to be like them.  
  
"Hey Mom!" Forest called and Taylor spotted the tall red head coming through the crowd, her own mother in tow. She took a deep breath knowing this would be a real challenge.  
  
"You guys looked great." Taylor heard her aunt say. Her eyes were on her mother. She turned and Taylor's eyes widened when her gaze met the familiar green eyes of the young man standing there behind her.  
  
"Nat."  
  
the end 


End file.
